The Alijadores de Tampico (Tampico Lightermen) were a professional baseball club based in Tampico, Tamaulipas that played in the Mexican League between the 1940s and 1980s.[1]
| Alijadores de Tampico | |
|---|---|
| Information | |
| League | Mexican League |
| Ballpark | Parque Alijadores |
| Established | 1937 |
| Folded | 1985 |
| League championships | 1945, 1946, 1975 |
| Former name(s) | Estibadores de Tampico (1971–72) Astros de Tamaulipas (1983–85) |
| Colors | Royal blue and gold |
The Alijadores were an excellent team and won titles in 1945 and 1946. However, they were not very profitable and did not play from 1949 through 1970. In 1971 the league reinstated the franchise, which played as the Estibadores de Tampico (Tampico Stevedores) during two seasons. Starting 1973, the team returned to its former name and won the championship title in 1975.
After 1979, Tampico was once again removed from the league. The franchise once again returned in 1983 and was renamed the Astros de Tampico for that season, playing again as the Alijadores in 1984. Since then, no other team based in Tampico has participated in Mexican professional baseball.[2]
Notable players
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All-time Mexican League great Héctor Espino helped win a Mexican League championship for the Alijadores de Tampico in 1975.
Year-by-year record
| Year | Record | Finish | Manager | Postseason | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940 | 46–41 | 4th | Guillermo Ornelas | — | |
| 1941 | 52–49 | 3rd | Guillermo Ornelas | — | |
| 1942 | 44–40 | 3rd | Manuel Arroyo | — | |
| 1943 | 41–48 | 4th | Willie Wells / Santos Amaro | — | |
| 1944 | 40–47 | 5th | Porfirio Martínez / Manuel Arroyo | — | |
| 1945 | 52–38 | 1st | Armando Marsans | — | |
| 1946 | 56–41 | 1st | Armando Marsans | — | |
| 1947 | 53–65 | 4th | Armando Marsans / Santos Amaro | — | |
| 1948 | 34–33 | 3rd | Chile Gómez | — | Folded in mid-season |
| 1971 | 79–65 | 6th | Miguel Sotelo | ||
| 1972 | 86–51 | 2nd | Pedro González | ||
| 1973 | 74–56 | 5th | Pedro González | Lost in Semifinals (Saraperos) 3–2 | |
| 1974 | 66–71 | 8th | Pancho Herrera | Lost in Quarterfinals (Unión Laguna) 4–1 | |
| 1975 | 73–62 | 6th | Benny Valenzuela | Won Serie del Rey (Córdoba) 4–1 | |
| 1976 | 66–68 | 8th | Benny Valenzuela / Ronnie Camacho | ||
| 1977 | 57–97 | 15th | Clemente Carreras / Benny Valenzuela | ||
| 1978 | 76–78 | 8th | Benny Valenzuela | Lost in Quarterfinals (Saltillo) 4–2 | |
| 1979 | 79–75 | 15th | Félipe Leal / Carlos Trevino | ||
| 1983 | 57–55 | 7th | Felipe Hernandez / Roberto Casellon | ||
| 1984 | 54–56 | 10th | Gregorio Luque | ||
| 1985 | 66–64 | 9th | Gregorio Luque | Lost in Quarterfinals (Aguascalientes) 4–0 |